1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to equipment for use in fiber optic telecommunications. More particularly, this invention pertains to a cabinet and tray for holding fiber optic cables.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are numerous examples of cabinetry for holding fiber optic cables. Such cabinetry can include structure for holding excess lengths of cables as well as performing various functions with cables. Such functions may include splice functions for joining two fiber optic cables. Such equipment is designed to facilitate an orderly arrangement of fiber optic cables. In a telecommunications center, numerous cables are present. It is desired that such equipment can organize the cables and permit access to the cables in an orderly manner.
Examples of fiber optic equipment includes cabinets disclosed in U.S. Reissue Pat. No. 34,955 reissued May 30, 1995 on U.S. Pat. No. 4,995,688. This patent describes a variety of cabinets which are interchangeable in a common flame. A specific embodiment of the cabinets include a cabinet for storing excess lengths of fibers. This cabinet is illustrated in FIGS. 29 through 32 of Reissue 34,955. The storage cabinet includes a plurality of sliding trays each of which contains a rotatable spool for holding fibers. Rotating the spool permits excess lengths of fibers to be stored on the spool in an orderly manner and with a bending radius which does not excessively bend the fibers which could otherwise interfere with fiber optic transmissions through the fiber. Another example of a fiber optic cabinet is U.S. Pat. No. 5,093,885. This cabinet contains connectors on a front panel. It also contains a splice tray which can be stored on shelves within the cabinet. The splice tray contains splice holders for splicing two fibers together. Also, U.S. Pat. No. 5,208,894 teaches a fiber optic splice cabinet having a plurality of sliding drawers contained within the cabinet. Each of the drawers contains a splice holder for holding multiple splices. Each of the trays contains cable guides for storing lengths of cable associated with the splices. The cabinet includes a side compartment for admitting a bundle of fibers to the interior of the cabinet for ultimate distribution of individual fibers to the various trays contained within the cabinet.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a cabinet which can retain fibers and permit holding excess lengths of fibers in an improved manner. Additionally, it is an object of the present invention to provide such a cabinet which can provide splice functions within the cabinet.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a fiber optic cabinet and fiber tray are disclosed. The cabinet includes walls defining an interior with an access opening on the front of the cabinet. The cabinet contains aligned guides disposed within the interior on opposite sides of the opening. The splice tray includes a generally planar tray base having a tray axis which is orthogonal to the base. The tray base has a peripheral edge sized for opposing portions of the edge to be slidably engaged with opposing ones of the aligned cabinet guides. The tray is slidably engaged with the cabinet guides when the tray base is in any one of a multiple of rotational positions about the tray axis. A fiber pathway guide is carried on the tray for receiving a wound amount of optical fiber on the guide as the tray base is rotated about the tray axis.